Lawmakers Want Money For First Responders Included In Deficit Plan

By Andrea Salazar

A bipartisan group of Hill lawmakers joined first responders from across the nation Tuesday to urge the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction to include in its recommendation a bill to better emergency responder communication.

With the so-called “super committee” nearing its Thanksgiving deadline to come up with at least $1.2 trillion in savings, the group pressed support for a measure that would privatize some lines of communication.

Their plan would allow the Federal Communications Commission to auction spectrum, or public airwaves it has domain over, to raise an estimated $24.5 billion — $6.5 billion of which would go toward deficit reduction.

“Any teenager with a smart phone has better technology than our first responders,” Sen. Kristen Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) said during a news conference today. “They can share more information more quickly than the men and women who put their lives on the line to keep us safe. That must change.”

Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) noted that improving nationwide communication is “one of the few recommendations of the 9/11 commission that has not yet been adopted.”

The D-block, a piece of 700 MHz spectrum, would allow first responders nationwide to share information during emergencies.

“We’re using, at best, mid-20th century telecommunications for the 21st century,” Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) said. “That’s what the D-block changes — a dedicated source of funding to buy the best and highest technology to use it for its highest purpose, and that is for the safety of the American people.

Also present at the news conference were Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) and emergency personnel from San Jose, Calif. and New York City.

GOP'ers Want FCC To Cooperate With Private Sector

By Janie Amaya

Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.) and Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) unveiled legislation Wednesday that will require the Federal Communications Commission to consult with the private sector before proposing new regulations.

The two lawmakers said the bill, entitled the Telecommunications Jobs Act of 2011, will help create jobs by removing the weight of “big government” from the nation’s innovators and entrepreneurs.

“I know that within the industry people have written letters and gotten no response. It is my arguement that I think the FCC works more for the FCC then they do for the industry they have the responsibility to regulate,” Sen. Heller said.  

Expected to be filed Wednesday afternoon, the bill would also require the FCC to perform a cost benefit analysis with each new proposal.

Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communication and Technology Rep. Walden said the bill also looks for better transparency, predictability and consistency from the FCC by requiring the Commission to give ample time for the press and the public to review new regulations.

“We want the FCC to disclose how they operate. Other agencies do this- the FCC should,” Walden said. “Opening up the FCC so lawmakers, the press and the public can watch, track and participate in a meaningful way should not end up being a bipartisan issue it’s just good government.”

FCC Announces New Cyber Security Initiative For Small Businesses

By Adrianna McGinley

A broadband connection can increase annual revenue for a small business by $200,000, according to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Julius Genachowski, but only if there are adequate cyber security measures in place.

During a discussion Monday at the Chamber of Commerce, Genachowski praised the work of a partnership between the FCC, the Department of Homeland Security, and the private sector and announced the release of the “Small Biz Cyber Planner”, a free, online tool to help small businesses develop customized cyber security plans.

Genachowski cited a 2011 Connected Nations Study showing the financial benefits of being online for a small business but added if sufficient security measures have not been taken, the result of a cyber attack could average a loss of $200,000.

“Failure to take cyber security seriously can potentially negate the benefits of being online,” Genachowski warned.

According to a 2011 Small Business Cybersecurity Survey conducted by the National Cyber Security Alliance and Symantec, 77 percent of small and medium business do not have a formal internet security policy in place, and 48 percent do not have even an informal policy. Despite these numbers, 85 percent of the 1,045 small business owners surveyed, reported they feel their systems are secure.

“Not to consider cyber security is a little bit like leaving your money lying around on a table and thinking that that’s not going to be a problem,” said former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff.

The Symantec/NCSA survey found that because of high costs, 85 percent of small businesses have no outside IT support. Chertoff said there is a need to create security resources that are understandable and accessible to “ordinary mortals”.

“The beauty of what’s been launched here…is that it makes accessible to people who are not full-time technology wizards the basic instructions and basic elements of a cyber security plan,” Chertoff explained.

Genachowski also announced that this week, the FCC will vote to modernize the Universal Service Fund, in order to provide infrastructure to 18 million people in rural communities across the U.S. who currently have no broadband access. The goal, he said, is to have universal broadband access by the end of the decade.

“Connecting these communities will create and save businesses that otherwise couldn’t exist,” Genchowski noted.

Web Privacy Policies Need Transparency, Say Heads Of FTC, FCC

By Rob Sanna - Talk Radio News Service

 The men in charge of both the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) told members of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on Tuesday that customers should be able to “opt-in” to information tracking when shopping on the internet.

Under current information tracking systems, consumers must “opt-out” of privacy policies or disable internet tracking devices called cookies. Unless consumers spefically tell internet service providers they do not want to be tracked, their internet activity is recorded.

“For vulernable populations and sensitive information, we have said that those should be ‘opt-in’ rather than ‘opt-out,’” said FTC Chairman Jon Liebowitz. “In terms of informing consumers and protecting their privacy…’opt-in’ is a much better approach.”

“There’s a huge disconnect between what consumers think happens to their data and what really happens to their data. Most consumers believe that a privacy policy protects their privacy, instead, a privacy policy delinates their rights and their lack thereof,” he added.

Members cited the example of a British gaming company called Gamestation, who included a clause in their terms and conditions which forced customers who agreed to “surrender their eternal soul” to Gamestation.

According to Leibowitz, most consumers did not opt out of this clause, even when provided with a rebate incentive. This, he said, demonstrates that people do not read privacy policies, and that the policies do not protect people adequately.

“In order to get the economic benefits of broadband, tele-health, and education, people need to be confident that the internet is a safe, trustworthy place,” said FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski. “The more people have the concerns that we’re hearing today, the less likely they are to take advantage of this medium.”

FCC, FDA Partner Up

Philip Bunnell - Talk Radio News Service

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) held a joint meeting Monday to announce “an unprecedented FCC, FDA partnership,” and the importance of wireless technology being used to improve healthcare and streamlined inter-agency communication.

FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said that he hopes government can work smartly with industry to “create conditions that encourage the development of cutting edge and life saving technology,” such as the human genome project. Genachowski said that bringing broadband and wireless technology to healthcare would reduce costs, help diagnose diseases faster and, ultimately, save lives.

FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg emphasized that the “benefits of wireless technology to healthcare [are] very clear.”  Hamburg was very complementary of the new FCC/FDA partnership, saying that, coupled with broadband and wireless technology, it could “shift the paradigm, and will eventually change the face of medicine forever.”

The FCC and FDA will have another joint meeting Tuesday, July 27, to further discuss life-saving wireless medical technology.